The French daredevil, Charles Blondin, toured America in mid-19th century exhibiting his tightrope walking skills. He boldly advertised he planned to cross Niagara Falls not once but 17 times. Blondin amazed the crowds as he repeatedly walked the quarter of a mile expanse 160 feet above the raging water. Once he rode a bicycle, once carried a man on his back, and once he took a stove, cooked and ate an omelet. The crowd reacted with oooohes and aaaahes. A Royal party from Britain came to witness this fearless performer. After crossing blindfolded, this time pushing a wheelbarrow, he approached the Duke of Newcastle and asked, “Do you believe I could take a man across the tightrope in this wheelbarrow?” “Yes, I do,” replied the Duke. “Hop in, then” said Blondin. The Duke quickly declined the challenge. He believed Blondin could do it, but didn’t trust him enough to risk his own life. How often do we say we believe and have faith in God, but won’t trust Him enough to get in His wheelbarrow?
“Trust”, that’s an easy word to say. “Sure, I trust her. We’ve been together for decades.” “Yea, I trust this elevator, I ride it every day.” However, the word has a significant depth of meaning. English dictionaries define it as a firm belief in, reliability, truth, or ability. Bible definitions uses terms as put confidence in, rely, sure, and convinced. Antonyms help clarify with opposite words as doubt, suspect, uncertainty, fear, and misgivings. One verse most of us know; Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding (Pro 3:5). We often quote it when trouble arises. But do we have a 100% confidence and reliance on God? Or 95% until we don’t understand, what the Holy Spirit is doing or where He is leading us? This verse says with all your heart or 100%. The hindrance comes from our understanding or knowledge. The word lean means rely and could be translated do not trust your own understanding. Adam and Eve stopped trusting the Lord and trusted themselves based on what the devil told them. He who trusts in himself is a fool (Prov 28:26 NIV).
Throughout the Word, it exhorts us again and again to trust in the Lord and warns against trusting ourselves, other people, chariots and horses, our own achievements and treasures, or our wealth. So trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him. God is a safe place to be (Ps 62:8 MSG). An insightful example of absolute trust was King Hezekiah. He decided from the beginning of his reign at age 25 that he would trust the Lord. He reopened the Temple, removed pagan objects, rid Judah of idols, destroyed the high places, and brought sweeping religious reform leading to a revival. During the same period, he watched the Assyrians conquer the nations around them and capture almost all the cities of Judah. Sennacherib the King of Assyria sent an envoy to Jerusalem telling them they should surrender. He sarcastically said to the people, Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria’ (2 Kings 18:30).
With Jerusalem already besieged by troops, Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. Hezekiah prayed before the Lord (2Ki 19:14, 15). Despite the odds against the city, Hezekiah knew it was better to trust in God than compromise with the enemy. He got in God’s wheelbarrow. The next morning Judah looked out and that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh (19:35, 36).
We can also trust God and live in peace without fear because we serve the same Lord. For I, the Lord, do not change (Mal 3:6). Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Heb 13:8). Others, even those we’ve trusted for decades, can disappoint us; elevators do malfunction. Sadly, I can sum up my experience with people in the ministry with terms as disappointment, betrayal, hurt, used, taken advantage of, trashed, and a host of other negatives. I admit this has left me trusting few people and I can count them on one hand. In contrast, I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count how faithful God has been. I say “Amen” to Paul’s quote “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (Ro 10:11). I’ve disappointed Him more times than I remember but that didn’t change His care for me, or His promise to keep me to the end. I am confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6).
Most readers if asked, “Do you believe God can do anything?” They would without hesitation respond, “Yes, sure I do.”
Sustaining Word for the Week: The question we should all ask ourselves this week, “Am I in His wheelbarrow?”